Caption: From left to right : Jon Dutton (Rugby Football League), Nic Erskine (Coventry and Warwickshire Champions), Les Ratcliffe (Coventry and Warwickshire Champions), Mike Crone (Jaguar Land Rover), Reverend John Witcombe (Dean of Coventry Cathedral), Martin Reeves (Chief Executive of Coventry City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority).
Coventry and Warwickshire’s physical, sporting and economic development and its future place in the West Midlands region were outlined to a key audience of business and civic leaders.
More than 150 people attended the Coventry and Warwickshire Champions meeting at Coventry Cathedral – record number of registrations for the organisation.
The Champions heard from Mike Crone, Purchasing and Property Director of Jaguar Land Rover; Martin Reeves, Chief Executive of Coventry City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA); Jon Dutton, Director of Projects and People for The Rugby Football League; and The Very Reverend John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral.
Mike Crone explained Jaguar Land Rover’s plans to expand and how the company is making sure there is enough physical space to meet the demand of 6,000 staff.
New projects include a 30 acre site at Whitley, a new £150-million National Automotive Innovation Centre near Warwick University and £200 million investment for a new propulsion system developing facility, with even more investment across the region.
Martin Reeves gave an update on the WMCA and plans from the new authority to strengthen business in the area, which will see a forecasted 500,000 increase in jobs and almost 20,000 new businesses by 2030, as part of a £8 billion spending plan.
Martin was preceded on stage by Jon Dutton, Director of Projects and People for The Rugby Football League.
He told the audience that the Ricoh Arena could expect fireworks when it hosts an international Rugby League double-header when England take on Scotland and Australia meet New Zealand this coming weekend.
Les Ratcliffe, chair of Coventry and Warwickshire Champions, said the event presented a range of reasons to be cheerful in the city and the county.
“Jaguar Land Rover is testament to how Coventry and Warwickshire is continuing to evolve physically and economically – the future really is exciting. It is especially encouraging to see investment of this scale and kind in the region,” he said.
“Attendances at Champions continue to grow, with more businesses joining every month and playing a part in promotion of Coventry and Warwickshire as a great place to do business.”
The Very Reverend John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral, opened the event and gave an update on the expanding events calendar at the world-renowned venue.
The next meeting of the Coventry and Warwickshire Champions will be on Wednesday, November 23, at Warwick Racecourse from 7.30am to 9.30am, with speakers to be announced nearer the date.